Introduction:

It was a pleasant Saturday afternoon many years ago until a certain man from one of my congregations appeared at my door. I opened the door to the look that kills and I was clearly his intended victim. Nonetheless, I invited him in, but he did not want to come beyond the doorway. As if the murderous look was not sufficient to his intended task, in the next few minutes I received the most brutal tongue lashing of my life to that point.

Mr. X, as I will call him gave me the look that kills and then attempted to complete the assassination attempt with hateful words before making a quick exit. Since by his look and word I should have been dead, he obviously expected no response from his victim.

I am sure that some others present have received the look that kills! It is not a pleasant experience to live through, is it? Sometimes the agony is accompanied by killing words and sometimes the look alone is sufficient. Perhaps we thought we were totaling undeserving of such treatment. We might wonder what might have taken place if a weapon was available.

This morning as we look at Matthew 5:21-26 I want us to think about attitudes and actions that murder and those that mediate. As we do this we should remember the context of the Beatitudes and other hard teachings of Jesus about being salt, light, and fulfilling the Law. Jesus was bringing the Old Testament Law to a higher standard.

1. Attitudes and Actions that Murder

Of course, Jesus was referring to the 6th of the 10 Commandments, You shall not kill, You shall not murder. It was one of the Jewish teachers was added, "Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the courts." While Jesus did not dispute with these words, He did take issue with their exposition of this commandment. Jesus wants to make very clear that the external act of murder is not all that is forbidden by this commandment.

In Matthew Henry's Commentary we read, "Christ tells them that rash anger is heart murder." And goes on to speak of tongue murder.

Dr. Tasker comments on these words of Jesus. "What He is saying is that God's demands in these matters are far more comprehensive and exacting than current interpretations of them by the scribes might seem to suggest. Murder, he insists, has its birth in anger fostered by an uncontrolled spirit of revenge, and such anger is itself an infringement of the sixth commandment."

In verse 22 some translations read, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause shall be guilty before the court." "Without cause" is not found in the older manuscripts thought to be more accurate. Certainly Jesus is speaking here of anger that IS SINFUL.

Then in this verse Jesus deals with people insulting their brothers, calling him "Raca" or saying "You fool." "Raca" is a nearly untranslatable rd descriptive of a tone of voice signifying contempt, a blameless idiot, a silly fool, or an empty headed blunderer. Tasker suggests the address of "you fool" is the transliteration of the Hebrew word moreh, meaning "persistent rebel against God: or "apostate." Jeremiah 5:23 or Psalm 78:8. Tasker continues, "On this assumption, Jesus would be saying that the man who tells his brother that he is doomed to hell is in danger of hell itself!"

Wow! Jesus is using some very strong language! Dare we admit that these may be words we need to hear? While you and I may very well have been the recipient of "the look that kills" or a verbal tongue lashing, what we need to think about is "What were my attitudes and actions in response" and/or "Have I been guilty of giving the look that kills, or a verbal tongue lashing or have I entertained such thoughts?"

Attitudes and actions that murder are sinful and deserving of judgment and hell. Jesus calls us to:

2. Attitudes and Actions that Mediate

If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way in order that your opponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you shall not come out of there, until you have paid up the last cent. Matthew 5:23-26.

Please note that the offerings here are not love offerings and tithes but sin offerings, sacrifices given to a priest to offer on the altar. Sins of attitude and action disturb our relationship with God and with other persons.

One aspect of Jewish sacrifices that we would do well to think about may very well have been on Jesus' mind as he taught these words. To be effective, a sacrifice had to include confession of sin and true repentance. True repentance involved the attempt to rectify any consequences sin might have had.

Wm. Barclay wrote, "The great Day of Atonement was held to make atonement for the sins of the whole nation, but the Jews were quite clear that not even the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement could avail for a man unless he was first reconciled to his neighbor. The breach between man and God could not be healed until the breach between man and man was healed. If a man was making a sin-offering, for instance, to atone for a theft, the offering was held to be completely unavailing until the thing stolen had been restored; and if it was discovered that the thing had not been restored, then the sacrifice was to be destroyed as unclean and burned outside the temple. The Jews were quite clear that a man had to do his utmost to put things right himself before he could be right with God."

Are you willing to do all you can to put yourself in right relationship to others? Matthew 6:14,15

Jesus came to mediate between the righteous demand of a just and holy God and sinful men and women. His blood was shed to make atonement for your sin and mine.

We must confess our sin - admit our sin - say the same thing God says about our sin and not try to rationalize it. Anger is sin, like murder, our harsh words, our insults, our looks that kill.

Repentance means to turn around, to go in the opposite direction of our sinful attitudes and actions. This may involve going to the person we have wronged to make it right and to demonstrate our sincerity to God.

Advent - a season of repentance in preparation for the coming of the Lord begins in a few weeks. Repentance is best done quickly to resolve the situation. We should make friends with persons we have sinned against and those who have sinned against you. Attitudes and actions that mediate go further. They seek to pattern their lives after the example of Jesus - the great Mediator in the Hebrews 13:20-21 Benediction. At the beginning of this message I asked you to think about these words of Jesus in the context of the beatitudes, especially the pure in heart and peace makers. We need to focus on attitudes and actions in our own lives that mediate.

Conclusion

Several years ago I was preparing to preach on anger and I needed to preach the sermon to myself before I could preach it to my congregation. You see, I had discovered that I had been conned out of a substantial amount of money. It was my money, not the church's. I was seeking to be generous, making a loan, thinking the best of people.

I was angry with the con man, but not just him. I was angry at myself, for my stupidity. This was anger I sensed I need to deal with before could preach to someone else on anger.

Do you have attitudes and actions that murder or that mediate?

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